UPDATE: Band’s manager confirms there will only be 7 shows in U.S. in 2026
Australian genre-bending improvisers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard announced their return to the U.S. next August for Field of Vision II (read my recent story about county officials approving a three-year permit last month), the band’s U.S. festival that debuted in Colorado this past August, and three more shows, including a “rave” set, at Forest Hills Stadium in New York.
The wording of their announcement in social media suggests the band does not intend to tour extensively in the U.S. in 2026 — and that only one more show is being planned in the States next year.
Screen shot of Gizz’s Facebook post announcing Field of Vision II and Forest Hills shows.
“6/7 of the USA shows for 2026. On sale Friday 9am/Noon ET. Gizzard loves you xx”
UPDATE 2: One Instagram account suggested that it’s a 6/7 joke with the hope that the band will still announce a full U.S. tour at a later time. But Gizzard’s manager Michelle Cable confirmed via Instagram message that there will indeed be only one other show announced for the U.S. next year.
Screenshot of Michelle Cable’s response on Instagram.
At the very least, Gizz will be at Meadow Creek in Buena Vista, Colo., Aug. 14-16, and Forest Hills in Queens, N.Y., Aug. 20-22.
Click on this event promo to visit the official Field of Vision site.
Gizz is currently on a 7-show tour on their home turf that kicked off today in Sydney, Australia, with three of those shows of the orchestral variety and four of them rock shows. The band also played a “rave” show in Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 24 and played only 10 shows Down Under between 2022 and 2024.
While the band played extensively in Europe this year, with full rock, orchestral and rave tours, it played only four rock shows in the U.S. this year, with three of them at their tour-closing Field of Vision festival, on top of a U.S. orchestral tour (with 28-piece orchestras conducted by Minnesota’s Sarah Hicks), which required the band to stick to mostly the same setlist every night. They were also scheduled to play more conventional sets at Bonnaroo in Tennessee, but that festival was canceled.
Click this promo for Forest Hills to purchase tickets.
Gizz toured extensively in the U.S. in 2024, and it appears, though the band has leaned heavily into their highly improvisational electronic shows, it will be at least 2027 before they return to the U.S. for any such tour.
A pre-sale for tickets, which are sure to be in high demand given the limited number of U.S. shows, will go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 3 at noon EST or to the public on Friday, Dec. 5 also at noon EST. The pre-sale code for both sales is “frankenstein.” Get to those sales through Gizz’s tour page here.
The band announced the first round of bands that will be playing at Field of Vision II in addition to Gizz’s three shows: Blood Incantation, Die Spitz, DJ Crenshaw, Earth Tongue, Etran De L’AÏr, Folk Bitch Trio, Lisa Bella Donna, Pattie Sonia and Upchuck.
They have not announced an opener for the Forest Hills shows, but New York psychedelic soul band Ghost Funk Orchestra, who recently opened for the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets in Toronto, used the socials to lobby for the spot.
I would love if Gizzard’s team, which may have other ideas in mind, went with GFO, one of the cooler psychedelic soul bands playing these days.
Since we’re talking about who gets to open, Australian psychedelic funk band Surprise Chef would be a good fit for Field of Vision, and I could name a number of other projects I would love to see on the bill, including Mcbaise, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Pond. Many would love to see Gizz side projects such as The Murlocs or Pipeye, but it is probably asking too much since Gizz will probably be repeating last year’s feat of three, three-hour marathon sets.
Regardless, they have earned the right to do whatever they want and invite any bands they deem fit.
American Gizz fans should probably just be glad that this band (from Timeland) that has taken many principled political stances, including defending their transgender fans, loudly opposing bigotry and writing about climate change, isn’t completely avoiding the U.S. while it seems to be in a political tailspin with a domestic terrorist/bigot as President and the disgusting and illegal efforts to deport and mistreat undocumented immigrants.
But I really have no insight into why the band is making it a light year in the States at a point when there is an insatiable demand for them here.
There are more important things than money, and I do believe they’ve shown us repeatedly that riches are not their main motivator as artists. It’s one reason they are so different than other rock bands, and we love them for it.
I’m still bummed we aren’t getting word of an extensive tour in the U.S., but forgive me — seasonal affective disorder has certainly impacted my brain as winter has just abruptly arrived in Minnesota.
I’m also thankful that we’ll get a chance to see them play seven times here next year.